TY - JOUR
T1 - Cannabis use and co-use in tobacco smokers and non-smokers
T2 - prevalence and associations with mental health in a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of adults in Great Britain, 2020
AU - Hindocha, Chandni
AU - Cheeseman, Hazel
AU - Brose, Leonie
AU - Walsh, Hannah
N1 - This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/12/21
Y1 - 2020/12/21
N2 - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In Great Britain, cannabis and tobacco are commonly used substances, both independently and together. Use of either substance is associated with mental health problems, but prevalence of co-use within these populations is unknown. We aimed to 1) estimate prevalence of cannabis use, frequency of use and routes of administration (ROA) among tobacco smokers and non-smokers and 2) investigate mental health problems amongst non-users, tobacco-only, cannabis-only and co-users of both substances.DESIGN: Cross-sectional national online survey (Action on Smoking and Health) fielded in February-March 2020.SETTING: Great Britain PARTICIPANTS: Adults in Great Britain aged ≥ 18 year (n = 12,809) MEASUREMENTS: Tobacco use status (smoker [daily or non-daily] or non-smoker [never or ex-smoker]), cannabis use frequency (never to daily), detailed ROAs of cannabis, self-reported treatment for mental health disorders (depression, anxiety, and any). Statistically weighted prevalence estimates were computed to ensure representativeness. Correlates were assessed using chi-squared tests and logistic regression.FINDINGS: In Great Britain in 2020, 7.1% of the sample had used cannabis in the past year. Tobacco smokers had greater odds of using cannabis in the past year (21.9%) and using cannabis daily (8.7%) than non-smokers (past-year: 4.7%; aOR=10.07, [95% CI: 8.4-12.0]; daily: 0.7%; aOR=24.6, [95% CI: 17.96-35.55]). Co-administration with tobacco was common (46.2% of non-smokers, 80.8% of tobacco smokers). Co-users reported the highest prevalence of any treatment for mental health problems (54.2%) in comparison to cannabis-only (45.8%), tobacco-only (33.2%) and non-users (22.7%; all p≤0.05).CONCLUSION: Approximately one in 13 adults in Great Britain reports having used cannabis in the past year, approximately four times as many among cigarette smokers as non-smokers. Co-administration of cannabis and tobacco, via smoking, appears to be common, including among self-identified non-smokers. Mental health problems appear to be particularly common among dual users.
AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In Great Britain, cannabis and tobacco are commonly used substances, both independently and together. Use of either substance is associated with mental health problems, but prevalence of co-use within these populations is unknown. We aimed to 1) estimate prevalence of cannabis use, frequency of use and routes of administration (ROA) among tobacco smokers and non-smokers and 2) investigate mental health problems amongst non-users, tobacco-only, cannabis-only and co-users of both substances.DESIGN: Cross-sectional national online survey (Action on Smoking and Health) fielded in February-March 2020.SETTING: Great Britain PARTICIPANTS: Adults in Great Britain aged ≥ 18 year (n = 12,809) MEASUREMENTS: Tobacco use status (smoker [daily or non-daily] or non-smoker [never or ex-smoker]), cannabis use frequency (never to daily), detailed ROAs of cannabis, self-reported treatment for mental health disorders (depression, anxiety, and any). Statistically weighted prevalence estimates were computed to ensure representativeness. Correlates were assessed using chi-squared tests and logistic regression.FINDINGS: In Great Britain in 2020, 7.1% of the sample had used cannabis in the past year. Tobacco smokers had greater odds of using cannabis in the past year (21.9%) and using cannabis daily (8.7%) than non-smokers (past-year: 4.7%; aOR=10.07, [95% CI: 8.4-12.0]; daily: 0.7%; aOR=24.6, [95% CI: 17.96-35.55]). Co-administration with tobacco was common (46.2% of non-smokers, 80.8% of tobacco smokers). Co-users reported the highest prevalence of any treatment for mental health problems (54.2%) in comparison to cannabis-only (45.8%), tobacco-only (33.2%) and non-users (22.7%; all p≤0.05).CONCLUSION: Approximately one in 13 adults in Great Britain reports having used cannabis in the past year, approximately four times as many among cigarette smokers as non-smokers. Co-administration of cannabis and tobacco, via smoking, appears to be common, including among self-identified non-smokers. Mental health problems appear to be particularly common among dual users.
U2 - 10.1111/add.15381
DO - 10.1111/add.15381
M3 - Article
C2 - 33345423
SN - 0965-2140
JO - Addiction (Abingdon, England)
JF - Addiction (Abingdon, England)
ER -